I've decided to post something totally unrelated to the Fall Classic on the day of game 7 of this nail-biting back and forth series. I'm planning on watching the whole game and rooting for the Dodgers every step of the way, and I will be honoring the winning team with a celebration post tomorrow. As for now, I have a new and fun idea now that the baseball season is 1 game away from over.
I'm going to do a top 25 cards for my favorite team other than the Red Sox and Cubs. The swinging Philadelphia/Kansas City/Oakland Athletics. This is a team with so much history and an equal amount of crazy colorful uniforms. This team formed a dynasty in the early 1970's with key pieces like Reggie Jackson along with lesser-known players like Joe Rudi and Dave Duncan. And who could forget the crazy nicknames like Blue Moon Odom and Catfish Hunter?
Even though A's teams since the 70's haven't nearly reached the peak that the 1970's teams did, they still produce stunning, colorful, and best of all different cards in each and every product. Take this Coco Crisp card for example. The 2014 A's were the last of some very talented teams that took the field this decade and this card of Coco highlights that. The hair is crazy, and the jersey is crazy, and somehow it looks absolutely great.
Then you have the 1967 A's who finished the season 62-99 with a .385 winning percentage. This card has just as much color as the 2014 card, if not more, with a team that was far worse. This is one of my favorite cards from 1967 Topps, and with the green sleeves and yellow jersey, it's easy to see why. I don't have any other cards of Ossie Chavarria, so I'm glad this one made it count.
You see, this is what I love about the A's. No matter the year whether it be the new teams and players from the 2010's.
Their old-school 70's teams lead by a slew of stars and legendary manager Dick Williams.
Or somewhere in between, you can always count on A's cards to deliver something that is unique and unmatched by any team in baseball history. That's what you should look for in my top 25 A's cards list. Expect cards 25-21 to be uploaded sometime before the end of the week.
Now to shut my computer, wait a couple of hours, and root for the Dodgers. Next time I post we'll have the 2017 World Series champions crowned.
Until then...
There's something about the garish green and yellow of the Athletics that just screams baseball (especially the vests modeled by Alou and Ossie) and, had I been born in California, I likely would have been an A's fan. I look forward to the rest of the countdown!
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